Feeding apparatus for fruit-parers.



No. nogsem. y l Pa'wntdsepi.30, |902.

vl.. l. yl-10mm.v FEEDING APPARATUS FUR FRUIT PAHERS.

(Applicntoniled Dac. 2S, 1901) (nq Modal.)

.. j; l, ih fw j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LUOIEN l. YEOMANS, OF WALWORTI-l, NEW YORK, ASSIGN'OR TO GOODELL COMPANY, OF ANTRIM, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

FEEDING APPARATUS FOR FRUIT-PARERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,390, dated September 30, 1902. Application filed December 28, 1901- Serial No. 87,529. (No model.)

To all whom, it may con/cern:

Be it known that I, LUCIEN I. YEoMANs, a citizen of the United States, residing at -Walworth, in the county of W'ayne and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Feeding Apparatus for Fruit-Parers and the Like, of which the following description, in

' connection with the accompanying drawings,

is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to means for supplying fruit to be pared to the fork or fruitholder of any usual paring-machine.

I have discovered that fruit having a core and presenting bodies varying in length upon being rotated by a suitable cylinder or other means will assume a position with its greatest diameter perpendicular to the axis of revolution of the cylinder or device used to whirl the fruit, or, in other words, the core of the fruit will as the latter is whirled assume a position substantially parallel with the axis of revolution of the body used to whirl the fruit. I have availed myself of this fact in the construction of the apparatus to be herein described, and for the best and most rapid work the paring-machine with which the apparatus to be herein described is to work will contain a plurality of forks and paring-blades, and the fork which is to receive fruit from the apparatus forming the subject of this application will be rotated, preferably, synchronously with the means employed to whirl the fruit.

Figure l, in side elevation, shows a feeding apparatus partially broken out and illustrating my invention in one of the best forms now known to me; and Fig. 2 is a section in the line Fig. l.

The framework A of the apparatus, of any suitable shape, has erected on it suitable uprights a a a2 a3, having bearings to sustain the various rotative parts to be described. The main shaft b, in practice driven at a variable speed by some suitable variable-speed mechanism and sustained in bearings a4, has iixed to it two pinions b and c. The pinion Z1' engages a gear b2, suitably secured to ahollow cylinder b3, sustained in bearings b4, shown as having removable caps b5, held in place by suitable means, as bolts b. The cylinder b3 is provided at its interior with a suitable yielding non-metallic surface bl, which may be of india-rubber, to act against the fruit forced therein to whirl the same without marring the skin of the fruit. lf the cylinder is made of iron, as preferably it will be, I provide the same at each end with wear-surfaces, as bs, preferably of brassand forced onto or otherwise attached to the cylinder. The delivery end of the cylinder has secured to it suitable yielding fingers b, preferably three in number.

The pinion c engages a gear c', splined on and adapted to rotate a shaft c2, slidably mounted in the bearing c3, said shaft having fastened securely to itsouter end by, it may be, a pin cla hub c5, having an annular groove that is entered by a fork c, secured to a sliding rack c7, by which the shaft c2 is slid in its bearings while being rotated.

The inner end of the shaft c2 has, as shown, a flange d, and said end is embraced loosely by a rotary pusher D, shown as composed of a sleeve d', having at its inner end an inturned flange engaging the rear side of the flange d, and a concaved end cl2, confined to the sleeve, as shown, by suitable screws d3. The sleeve contains a suitable spring d4, that bears at one end against the end of the shaft c2 and at its other end against the inner side of the end d2 of the pusher. The pusher is rotated by and with the shaft c2 and is free to yield on said shaft as the latter is pushed toward the cylinder b3 as is required, according to the size of the fruit to be pared.

The framework sustains a concaved receptacle B, in which the fruit to be pared is fed or laid in any usualV or suitable manner.

The rack-bar c7 derives its sliding movement from a gear e, mounted on a stud e', suitably sustained in the frame A, said gear having attached to it a pinion e2, that is engaged byy a rack e3, suitably fixed to a bar e4, mounted to be slid in suitable bearings of stands e5, said bar being provided at one end, as shown, with a roll e6, and surroundednear its other end by a spring el, that acts normally to maintain the roll in contact with the face of a cam F, shaped to produce a vari- IOO , from the cylinder.

able sliding of the shaft c2 as the latter is being rotated.

, The cam F is fast on a shaft f, supposed to form part of the paring-machine, having a suitable number of forks, as f, or it may be a shaft moved in unison with any shaft of any suitable paring-machine.

In operation let it be assumed that the cylinder b3 and shaft c2 are in rapid rotation, that an apple h has been dropped or laid in any suitable mannerin the receptacle B, that the cam F is moving in the direction of the arrow thereon, and that the roll e6 occupies a position on the lowest throw of said cam and that the pusher occupies its farthest position Now the cam F in its further rotation causes the incline]c2 to act and move the pusher forward in the receptacle and push the fruit to be pared toward the open end of the cylinderfs, and by the time that the fruit arrives at the open end of the cylinder the roll e comes upon the surface f3 of the cam F, and while the surface]03 acts the fruit is started in rotation by the moving` cylinder b3. As soon as the cam portionf4 arrives in contact with the roll e6 the pusher shoves the fruit into the cylinder and the latter whirls the fruit with sufcient 'rapidity to cause it to assume a position in the cylinder with its greatest diameter perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the cylinder, or the core of the apple is brought into position substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder or whatever means are employed to whirl the fruit. The whirling of the fruit having been established, the camsurface f4 causes the pusher to force the fruit from the delivery end of the cylinder into position between the yielding fingers b9 and thence onto the fork f', at that time occupying a position substantially in line with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder b3, the iingers yielding to the end of the pusher, the latter transferring the fruit upon the fork.

I believe that I am the irst to apply whirling or rotating fruit to the fork of a paringmachine, and I also believe that I am the first to aline automatically the cores of a series of apples one after another to be pared with the fork of a paring-machine, and I intend to claim these features broadly, however attained.

While I prefer to use india-rubber within the cylinder to contact with the surface of the fruit, this invention is not limited to the use of that material, and I desire it to be understood that numerous changes in the construction and arrangement of the dierent parts shown may be made without departing from the spirit of myinvention andconsider the same broad enough to permit of many alterations and changes and yet come within the scope of my invention.

I have shown the cylinder as of substantially uniform diameter from one to its other end; yet I may, if desired, taper the interior of the cylinder.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

isv l. In a machine of the character described, the combination of devices for holding the fruit in position to be pared, means for whirling the fruit, and means for causing the fruit to be engaged with the holding devices.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination of devices for holding fruit in position to be pared, a rotatable body to contact with and whirl the fruit to cause the greatest diameter of the fruit to assume a position substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of said rotatable body, and means for urging the fruit into engagement with the holding devices.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a fork for holding the fruit in position to be pared, means for whirling the fruit, and meansfor forcing the whirling fruit upon the said holding devices.

4. In a machine of the character described, the combination of devices, for holding fruit in position to be pared, means for whirling the fruit to cause the greatest diameter of the fruit to assume a position substantially perpendicular to the axis of the said means, yielding fingers, and means" to urge the fruit between said ngers and onto the holding devices.

5. An apparatus for feeding fruit to a paring-machine, comprising a cylinder, means to rotate it, a pusher, means to slide and rotate the same, and a receptacle for the fruit to be IOO transferred by said pusher into said cylinder.

6. In an apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a yielding pusher, means to rotate said cylinder and pusher and to slide the pusher that it, while in rotation, may push the fruit within said cylinder to be whirled thereby.

7. In an apparatus of the class described, a cylinder, a yielding pusher, means to rotate said cylinder and pusher and to slide the pusher that it, while in rotation, may push the fruit within said cylinder to he whirled thereby, and yielding fingers rotatable With said cylinder to receive the fruit as it leaves the cylinder.

8. The combination of a hollow cylinder, means to push fruit into said cylinder, and means for imparting rotation to the cylinder to cause the fruit contained therein to rotate and position the core thereof substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

9. The combination of a hollow cylinder, a yielding pusher for pushing fruit into said cylinder and means for imparting rotation to said cylinder to cause the fruit therein to rotate and be positioned with the core thereof substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

10. The combination of a hollow cylinder having a lining of yielding material, means to push fruit into' saidcylinder, and means for IIO Io the lattermay Whirl the fruit contained therein and cause the core thereof to assume a position substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis of the cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of t 5 two subscribing Witnesses.

LUCIEN I. YEOMANS. Witnesses:

WM. F. DICKEY, IvoN A. BALCH.k 

